WRBL
Five human rights activists were arrested Saturday morning as they protested at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. For 8 years, hundreds of protesters have called for the closure of one the largest immigrant detention centers in the country. This year, five activists were arrested trying to get their voices heard.
It was a silent message that spoke volumes as five activists crossed a restricted line and were arrested in Lumpkin Saturday morning. One of those activists was Anton Flores.
“Right now in the United States, there are 34,000 immigrants that are detained in detention centers around the United States. We want to see that number decrease and we want to see this facility shut down,” said Anton Flores.
Nearly one thousand protesters had the same goal in mind as they walked 12 across, arm in arm, for about two miles to the Stewart Detention Center.
“Detaining immigrants is not the solution,” said Aurea Martinez. The group claims the facility has a tainted past, deplorable living conditions, and poor food quality.
A statement from Immigration Enforcement officials reads,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) takes the care and custody of our detainees very seriously. ERO is committed to prioritizing the health and safety of detainees in our custody while increasing federal oversight and improving conditions of confinement within the detention system. ICE is equally committed to security of our communities here in the U.S. and safeguarding the public from convicted criminals that pose a risk of violence and have been deemed removable from the country.
Through an aggressive inspections program, ICE ensures its facilities follow ERO’s National Detention Standards (NDS). The agency’s Detention Standards Compliance Unit ensures that detainees in ICE custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments and under appropriate conditions of confinement. The Stewart Detention Center was most recently inspected by the Nakamoto Group, an independent contractor that reviews detention facilities for compliance with ERO National Detention Standards, in May 2014. The facility was found to be in compliance with our National Detention Standards in this most recent review.
Since ICE initiated a long-term detention reform effort in August 2009, significant changes have been made to the immigration detention system and health care management. These reforms address the vast majority of complaints about ICE’s immigration detention system, but they allow ICE to maintain a significant, robust detention capacity to carry out serious immigration enforcement.
On the heels of the President’s executive actions, the group is hopeful that further change is in store.
“We believe there is a humane way for people to deal with their immigration process and not be locked up in these facilities,” said Aurea Martinez.
After the Stewart vigil, hundreds headed to Fort Benning to call for the closure of WHINSEC. One activists says the two protests go hand in hand.
“To make the clear connections between the root causes of migration adn the SOA violence that causes people to flee,” said Maria Rosal.
Lee Rials with WHINSEC says the school is always open to the public and they invite protesters inside to see exactly what they do.
“Transparency, openness, and sharing so that we are building partnerships not only with other countries and the U.S. but among those countries a well,” said Lee Rials.
Bond was set at $250.00 for each of the activists who were arrested Saturday.